Capturing apparatus and method of capturing image

ABSTRACT

The disclosure provides a capturing apparatus and a capturing method for the capturing apparatus. The method includes steps: controlling the capturing unit to capture an image; performing an image processing function in relation to the captured image to obtain pixels of the captured image; comparing the pixels of the captured image with the pixels of the pre-stored standard images and determining whether a percentage of the pixels of the image is similar to the pixels of one of the standard images. If the percentage of the pixels of the image reaches a threshold of similarity to the pixels of one standard image, acquiring the parameters associated with the standard image; and controlling the capturing unit to capture subsequent images according to the parameters associated with the standard image.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The disclosure relates to image capturing technology and, moreparticularly, to a capturing apparatus and a method of capturing imageadapted for the capturing apparatus.

2. Description of Related Art

A digital point-and-shoot camera of related art captures imagesaccording to default parameters, such as default focus, color,brightness, contrast, and exposure. However, the environment and theposition of the digital camera may change, the quality of the images maybe reduced when the image is captured according to the defaultparameters all the time.

Therefore, what is needed is a capturing apparatus to overcome thedescribed shortcoming.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a capturing apparatus in accordance with anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a processing unit of the capturingapparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for capturing an image adapted for thecapturing apparatus of FIG. 1 in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a capturing apparatus 1 in accordance withan exemplary embodiment. The capturing apparatus 1 may be a digitalcamera, or a mobile phone with a camera. The capturing apparatus 1includes a capturing unit 10, a storage unit 20, a display unit 30, anda processing unit 40. The capturing unit 10 captures images. The displayunit 30 displays images. The processing unit 40 controls the capturingapparatus 1.

The storage unit 20 pre-stores a number of standard images, pixels ofeach standard image, and parameters associated with each standard image,wherein the associated parameters include a focus of the capturing unit10, color, brightness, contrast, and exposure time of the capturing unit10, etc. In another embodiment, the storage unit 20 pre-stores a profileof each subject in each standard image, location information of eachsubject in each standard image, and the associated parameters. Forexample, a standard image includes two subjects, such as a person and abuilding, and the storage unit 20 stores two profiles and locationinformation of the two subjects in a standard image.

Referring to FIG. 2, the processing unit 40 includes a capture controlmodule 400, an image processing module 410, a determination module 420,a parameter acquiring module 430, and an output control module 440. FIG.3 shows the functions of all modules.

Referring to FIG. 3, in step S400, the capture control module 400controls the capturing unit 10 to capture an image in front of thecapturing apparatus 1. In step S410, the image processing module 410performs an image processing function in relation to the captured imageto obtain pixels of the captured image.

In step S420, the determination module 420 compares the pixels of thecaptured image with the pixels of the pre-stored standard images anddetermines whether the pixels of the image are similar to the pixels ofone of the standard images. In the embodiment, the determinationfunction includes steps of: comparing the pixels of the image with thecorresponding pixels of each standard image, calculating a similarityvalue of the pixels as a whole in the two compared images, anddetermining whether the similarity value reaches a preset value, forexample, determining whether the percentage of pixels which are the samein the two compared images is greater than seventy percent in total.When the similarity value of the pixels of the two compared imagesreaches the preset value, the determination module 420 determines thatthe pixels of the captured image are similar to the pixels of a standardimage, and the captured image is then regarded as being similar to thestandard image. When the similarity value of the pixels of the twocompared images does not reach the preset value, the determinationmodule 420 determines that the pixels of the image are not similar tothe pixels of a standard image, and that the captured image in that caseis not similar to the standard image. Generally, the pixels of thecaptured image are similar to the pixels of only one standard image inthe storage unit 20.

In step S430, if the determination module 420 determines that the pixelsof the captured image are similar to the pixels of one standard image,the parameter acquiring module 430 acquires the parameters associatedwith the compared standard image in the storage unit 20. In step S440,the capture control module 400 controls the capturing unit 10 to capturesubsequent images according to the parameters acquired from the comparedstandard image.

In step S450, if the determination module 420 determines that the pixelsof the image are not similar to the pixels of any standard image, thestorage unit 20 further stores default parameters, the capture controlmodule 400 controls the capturing unit 10 to capture subsequent imagesaccording to the default parameters. In step S460, the output controlmodule 440 controls the display unit 30 to display the captured images.Therefore, when capturing an image, the capturing apparatus 1 cangenerate captured images with good effects.

In another embodiment, the image processing module 410 performs an imageprocessing function in relation to the captured image to obtain thenumber of subjects in the image, a profile of each subject, and locationinformation of the profile of each subject. The determination module 420compares the image with the pre-stored standard images and determineswhether the image is similar to one of the standard images. For example,the determination function includes steps of: firstly determiningwhether there is one standard image which has the same number ofsubjects as the captured image; if a standard image has the same numberof subjects as the captured image, comparing the profile and thelocation information of each subject of the image with the profile andlocation information of each subject of the standard image, calculatinga similarity value of the pixels of each subject as a whole in the twocompared images, and determining whether the similarity value reaches apreset value, for example, determining whether the percentage of pixelsof each subject which are the same in the two compared images is greaterthan seventy percent in total.

When the similarity value of the pixels of each subject of the twocompared images reaches the preset value, the determination module 420determines that the profile and the location information of each subjectof the captured image are similar to the profile and the locationinformation of each subject of the standard image, and the capturedimage is then regarded as similar to the standard image.

Although the present disclosure has been specifically described on thebasis of the exemplary embodiment thereof, the disclosure is not to beconstrued as being limited thereto. Various changes or modifications maybe made to the embodiment without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A capturing apparatus comprising: a capturingunit; a storage unit to pre-store a plurality of standard images, pixelsof each standard image, and parameters associated with each standardimage; and a processing unit comprising: a capture control module tocontrol the capturing unit to capture an image; an image processingmodule to perform an image processing function in relation to thecaptured image to obtain pixels of the captured image; a determinationmodule to compare the pixels of the captured image with the pixels ofeach of the pre-stored standard images and determine whether the pixelsof the captured image are similar to the pixels of one of the pre-storedstandard images; a parameter acquiring module to acquire the parametersassociated with the one standard image from the storage unit when thedetermination module determines that the pixels of the captured imageare similar to the pixels of the one standard image; and the capturecontrol module to control the capturing unit to capture subsequentimages according to the acquired parameters.
 2. The capturing apparatusas recited in claim 1, wherein the storage unit further pre-stores aprofile and location information of a subject in each standard image,the image processing module is further configured to perform an imageprocessing function in relation to the captured image to obtain a numberof subjects in the captured image, a profile of each subject in thecaptured image, and location information of each subject in the capturedimage, the determination module is further configured to compare thecaptured image with the pre-stored standard images and determine whetherthe profile and the location information of each subject of the capturedimage are similar to the profile and the location information of eachsubject of the standard image.
 3. The capturing apparatus as recited inclaim 2, wherein the determination module determines whether there isone standard image which has the same number of subjects with thecaptured image in the storage unit, compares the profile and thelocation information of each subject of the captured image with thecorresponding profile and the location information of each subject ofthe standard image when the standard image has the same number ofsubjects with the captured image, calculates a similarity value of thepixels of each subject as a whole in the two compared images, anddetermines whether the similarity value reaches a preset value; when thesimilarity value of the pixels of each subject of the two comparedimages reaches the preset value, the determination module is furtherconfigured to determine that the profile and the location information ofeach subject of the captured image are similar to the profile and thelocation information of each subject of the standard image.
 4. Thecapturing apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the determinationmodule compares the pixels of the image with the pixels of each standardimage, calculates a similarity value of the pixels as a whole in the twocompared images, and determines whether the similarity value reaches apreset value; when the similarity value of the pixels of the twocompared images reaches the preset value, the determination module isfurther configured to determine that the pixels of the image are similarto the pixels of a standard image and the image is similar to thestandard image; and when the similarity value of the pixels of the twocompared images does not reach the preset value, the determinationmodule is further configured to determine that the pixels of the imageare not similar to the pixels of a standard image and the image is notsimilar to the standard image.
 5. The capturing apparatus as recited inclaim 1, wherein the storage unit further stores default parameters, thecapture control module is further configured to control the capturingunit to capture subsequent images according to the default parameterswhen the determination module determines that the pixels of the imageare not similar to the pixels of any standard image.
 6. The capturingapparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the parameters associated witheach standard image comprise a focus, color, brightness, contrast, andexposure time of the capturing unit.
 7. A method of capturing imageadapted for a capturing apparatus, the capturing apparatus comprising acapturing unit and pre-storing a plurality of standard images, pixels ofeach standard image, and parameters associated with each standard image,the method comprising: controlling the capturing unit to capture animage; performing an image processing function in relation to thecaptured image to obtain pixels of the captured image; comparing thepixels of the captured image with the pixels of each of the pre-storedstandard images and determining whether the pixels of the image aresimilar to the pixels of one of the standard images; if the pixels ofthe image are similar to the pixels of the one standard image, acquiringthe parameters associated with the one standard image; and controllingthe capturing unit to capture subsequent images according to theacquired parameters.
 8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein thecapturing apparatus further pre-stores a profile and locationinformation of a subject in each standard image, the method furthercomprising: performing an image processing function in relation to thecaptured image to obtain a number of subjects in the captured image, aprofile and location information of the profile of each subject; andcomparing the image with each of the pre-stored standard images anddetermining whether the profile and the location information of eachsubject of the image are similar to the profile and the locationinformation of each subject of one of the standard images.
 9. The methodas recited in claim 8, wherein the step “determining whether the profileand the location information of each subject of the image are similar tothe profile and the location information of each subject of one of thestandard images” further comprising: determining whether there is onestandard image which has the same number of subjects with the image; ifthe one standard image has the same number of subjects with the image,comparing the profile and the location information of each subject ofthe image with the profile and the location information of each subjectof the one standard image; calculating a similarity value of the pixelsof each subject as a whole in the two compared images and determiningwhether the similarity value reaches a preset value; and if thesimilarity value of the pixels of each subject of the two comparedimages reaches the preset value, determining that the profile and thelocation information of each subject of the image are similar to theprofile and the location information of each subject of the standardimage.
 10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the step“determining whether the pixels of the image are similar to the pixelsof one of the standard images” further comprising: comparing the pixelsof the image with the pixels of each standard image; calculating asimilarity value of the pixels as a whole in the two compared images anddetermining whether the similarity value reaches a preset value; if thesimilarity value of the pixels of the two compared images reaches thepreset value, determining that the pixels of the image are similar tothe pixels of a standard image and the image is similar to the standardimage; and if the similarity value of the pixels of the two comparedimages does not reach the preset value, determining that the pixels ofthe image are not similar to the pixels of a standard image and theimage is not similar to the standard image.
 11. The method as recited inclaim 7, wherein the capturing apparatus further stores defaultparameters, the method further comprising: if the pixels of the imageare not similar to the pixels of any standard image, controlling thecapturing unit to capture subsequent images according to the defaultparameters.
 12. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the parametersassociated with each standard image comprise a focus, color, brightness,contrast, and exposure time of the capturing unit.